Preview: Animal charity accused of wrongdoing

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PORTLAND, Ore. – The KATU Problem Solvers are looking at questions about an animal charity based here in Portland. Other charities are accusing this non-profit of playing games with your money.

The main complaint revolves around a cat named Snow near Detroit, Mich. Someone poured a chemical on him and burned off part of his fur and skin.

After the attack, a non-profit in Michigan worked to save him. Paws for the Cause Feral Cat Rescue put Snow’s picture online and raised money from around the world for his medication and treatment.

But founder Laura Wilhelm-Bruzek was surprised to find out a Portland non-profit called Animal Miracle Foundation and Network took Snow’s photo and posted it on its own site. There was also an appeal for donations to be sent to Animal Miracle Foundation, not Paws for the Cause.

After seeing that, Wilhelm-Bruzek filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Justice.

“Snow has a really big following and people really love him,” Wilhelm-Bruzek said. “The response to his story was really overwhelming, so when they thought another organization might be trying to exploit him to make money, they were not happy.”

So what is up with Animal Miracle Foundation and Rescue? The answers are shaping up to be quite interesting.

The head of the group claims to be many things, including an “animal oracle” and “America’s leading pet lifestyle and safety expert.” We asked her for some proof of the claims she makes online when soliciting donations.

We’ll bring you her response and more about Kerry Tomlinson’s investigation tonight on KATU News at 6.